Jun 29 2009
Filmmaker Ruth Carranza has done more to document semiconductor and computer manufacturing than almost anyone in the business. With a seven-part educational film series on the subject already under her belt, Carranza will soon showcase the first in a trilogy of films about microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, and nanotechnology. Premiering at SEMICON West on July 15, the new Silicon Run film, MEMS: Making Micro Machines, offers a rare close-up of MEMS design, fabrication, testing and packaging.
“Educators and industrial trainers have been asking for a film that explores the significant differences between semiconductor and computer manufacturing and MEMS manufacturing processes—and few resources can meet this need as effectively as film,” said Ruth Carranza, principal of Silicon Run Productions.
Carranza collaborated with MEMS Industry Group (MIG), the trade association representing the MEMS and microstructures industries, to include a variety of MEMS devices and related applications in the film.
Karen Lightman, managing director of MIG, noted: “Speaking for both MIG and for MIG members who participated in the film—Coventor, Discera, Freescale Semiconductor, Omron Electronic Components, Robert Bosch GmbH, Sensonor Technologies AS and Texas Instruments—it has been a privilege to work with Ruth Carranza on the making of the first film to provide a close-up look at the inner workings of MEMS manufacturing. Given this achievement, we believe that Ruth’s contribution to the MEMS industry will be significant and enduring.”
MEMS: Making Micro Machines features MIG member Freescale’s design of sensors for automotive, medical, industrial and consumer applications; MIG member Texas Instruments’ packaging of DLP® technology; and Hewlett Packard’s fabrication of thermal inkjet printheads.
“MEMS: Making Micro Machines provides a window into prominent MEMS facilities, which are not traditionally accessible to the public. For example, the Freescale footage features the team effort required to manufacture our sensors, capturing the flavor of the interactions among sales, marketing, engineering, and the mechanical, electrical and systems designers themselves,” said Demetre Kondylis, vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Sensor and Actuator Solutions Division.
”While more than 20 million DLP subsystems have been shipped since 1996, only a select few have witnessed the manufacturing of DLP devices at the micro-scale—at least until now,” said Michael Mignardi, manager of Energy Harvesting, Texas Instruments. “MEMS: Making Micro Machines shows the manufacturing of arrays of up to 2.2 million microscopic mirrors, which switch incredibly fast to create a high-resolution, highly reliable, full-color image, better known as TI’s DLP technology.”
Hewlett-Packard provided a third on-site filming location, offering the first extreme close-up of the printhead manufacturing process. While most people take their printers for granted, without any idea of the complexity of inkjet printheads, MEMS: Making Micro Machines takes the audience into Hewlett-Packard’s facility, providing views of step-by-step, major surface machining and bulk processes required to fabricate these silicon-based MEMS devices.
See Film’s Premiere at SEMICON West
In addition to serving on the advisory committee for the film, SEMI—the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries—will premiere MEMS: Making Micro Machines at the SEMI Theater at SEMICON West on July 15, 2009 at 1:00 PDT, with additional show times on July 15-16.
Tom Morrow, vice president of global expositions and marketing, SEMI elaborated: “We are delighted to have been selected to premiere this important new industry film. MEMS: Making Micro Machines will most certainly appeal to the wide range of commercial vendors supplying tools, materials and services to the MEMS industry—and with many of these companies attending SEMICON West, we believe that it will find a ready audience at our venue.”
Supporters
The making of MEMS: Making Micro Machines was made possible by a major grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program and by additional funding from Silicon Run’s corporate partners: Freescale Semiconductor, Robert Bosch GmbH and SEMI.
In addition to MIG, the film’s advisory committee includes members from industry and higher education.